On Jan. 26, 1749 the Dutch East India Company's Amsterdam set sail from Texel Island bound for Batavia
(Jakarta, Indonesia) carrying an abundance of commercial goods and 27 chests of silver coins. For the
Amsterdam this was her maiden voyage. Her voyage was less than smooth because weeks later she had
only reached the English Channel, she had been fighting storms and the black death. Her rudder finally was
broken away and she drifted out of control finally grounding in the bay 4 miles southwest of Hastings, England
on Jan. 26, 1749.

The surviving crew were cared for by local residents but British troops had to be called out to stop looting by
the same locals. Some of the coins were removed but much of it remained onboard. The ship sank and was
largely forgotten until the wreck was located in 1969. The wreck is well preserved and is now a protected site.

© 2008 Michael W. Pocock
MaritimeQuest.com

Replica of the Amsterdam at the Netherlands Maritime Museum in Rotterdam.